Fashion Fund One Acquires Vilebrequin

The Hague, The Netherlands (ots/PRNewswire) - Fashion Fund One
("the fund") announced today that it has acquired 100% of TRB
International SA ("the company"), the Luxembourg based holding
company which owns the world-wide operations and intellectual
property rights of Vilebrequin.

Vilebrequin is a unique luxury fashion brand which focuses on
beach and swimwear for men and boys. The company's products are sold
in 67 own stores as well as selected department stores and
independent retailers in 16 countries around the world. Vilebrequin's
most important markets are France, USA and Italy. The company is
registered in Luxembourg with its head office and warehouse
operations in Geneva.

Pierre-Alain Blum, chairman of Lalande SA, the selling shareholder
of the company, said: "We are very pleased with our partnership with
Fashion Fund One. I am convinced that growth in our business will
accelerate under their ownership. With their management team's proven
track record and extensive network of contacts in the fashion
industry, the fund will be able to take Vilebrequin to the next level
of development." Pierre-Alain Blum will remain part of the company as
non-executive director in the Supervisory Board.

Hans Ouwendijk, Managing Director of Fashion Fund One, added that
Vilebrequin fits perfectly with its strategy to invest in strong
brands with established heritage. "Vilebrequin is an internationally
recognised brand with a distinctive product offer and a clearly
defined consumer base. It stands for superior quality and unique
designs with an energetic feel, a successful formula that has been
rewarded with a loyal customer base around the world. We are
confident that by leveraging the strength of the brand and by
developing a new distribution strategy we will be able to accelerate
the growth of the company."

Fashion Fund One will focus on expanding the company by increasing
the number of own stores as well as wholesale partnerships based on
department store shop-in-shops and franchise stores. The
opportunities for product licensing and extensions of the product
range will also be explored.

Information on Vilebrequin

Vilebrequin was founded in the 1970s in St Tropez, where it
created a strong, unique identity right from its first collection
with its rich palette of colours and vibrant prints. In the 1990s,
the company expanded its product range with the launch of shirts,
pants, shorts and accessories (sun glasses, beach towels and caps) as
well as the 'Like Father, Like Son' concept of matching swimwear for
men and boys.

Today the swimsuit collection consists of some 200 prints in 16
different styles in sizes from 2 years to 5XL. Each collection is
built around a number of themes which are refreshed each year, the
dominant ones being flora, fauna and fruit. Although vibrant prints
are Vilebrequin's brand signature, the products are also available in
a range of solid colours. In order to maintain exclusivity and
quality standards, all prints are designed by a specialist team of
fabric designers with all printing done exclusively by two companies
in France and Italy.

Information on Fashion Fund One

Fashion Fund One is a private equity fund which focuses on
majority investments in fast growing mid- to later- stage companies
in the European fashion and accessories industry. The fund was
established in Summer 2006 by several founders and former senior
executives of Mexx. Most of the investors in the fund (22 individuals
and institutions from 8 countries) have extensive experience in the
fashion industry.

Fashion Fund One is based in The Hague, Netherlands. The fund
generally invests in companies with enterprise value of EUR 50 to EUR
100 million and prefers well recognised, wholly owned brands in the
mid to upper segments of the market. Target companies should have
substantial parts of their activities or sales in Europe. The fund's
primary geographical focus is on Benelux, followed closely by Germany
and France. Investments in southern European markets will also be
considered.

The fund is managed by fr2 Capital B.V., a management company
headed by Adu Advaney and Hans Ouwendijk, former senior executives of
Mexx. Both possess strong operational and entrepreneurial skills and
combine more than 50 years of relevant industry experience at,
amongst others, Laura Ashley, Mexx and Liz Claiborne.

http://www.fr2capital.nl

http://www.vilebrequin.com

ots Originaltext: Fashion Fund One
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

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For more information please contact: Vilebrequin, Pierre-Alain Blum,
Tel: +41(0)22-317-73-40, ikfstef@vtx.ch; Fashion Fund One, Irene
Wiegand Bruss, PR Manager, Tel: +31(0)70-364-1420,
i.wiegandbruss@fr2capital.com; Trimedia, Yurena Segredo Suárez /
Marijke van Hooren, Tel: +31(0)23-750-32-10,
ysegredosuarez@trimediabenelux.com / mvanhooren@trimediabenelux.com


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